I am a list maker…even in retirement from my secular work. For me, what doesn’t get listed, doesn’t get done. It is also very rewarding for me to check that item off the list when it is accomplished. The list has a progression of priorities. One task cannot happen until another task is completed. And so life goes with my lists guiding my behavior and productivity.
As I journal each morning in my conversational prayer with God, the Father, His Spirit guides me to make another list that helps me to mature and grow in Him. I am convicted of some of those “fruits of the Spirit” that I have not tended to or cultivated, have ignored or left undone. His Holy Spirit redirects my thoughts and helps me form a list of tasks that will help me improve my behavior. “Keep a close check on yourself”, writes Paul to Timothy. For me, that means to make a spiritual checklist that keeps me in close contact with the will and purpose of our Father, God and helps me to grow closer to Him.
We can do nothing of significance without God. I am convinced that He guides us to all things that are good for our growth and aid our learning about Him and how He works. Paul also gives Timothy sound advice about how to treat those whom God has called to lead with character traits with another list of how to lead. This list still applies to us today. The theme of this episode seems to be; Know God, Know Yourself, Know The Message, Know Your Audience. Our deeds, good and bad, will be evident. Be driven by God’s love in us.
1 Timothy 5, The Message
17-18 Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”
19 Don’t listen to a complaint against a leader that isn’t backed up by two or three responsible witnesses.
20 If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can’t get by with it.
21-23 God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don’t worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it’s good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you.
24-25 The sins of some people are blatant and march them right into court. The sins of others don’t show up until much later. The same with good deeds. Some you see right off, but none are hidden forever.
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE #6: Keep a Close Check on Yourself
Leadership Characteristics –
–Fully rely on God. Trust Him with all you are and all you have. We are His. All we have is His.
–Ask God “if there is anything offensive to you, cleanse me.” as the Psalmist prayed.
–Repent with a heart and mind not wanting to return to the old life.
–Look full into the face of Jesus, our Master, Lord and Savior with laser focus so we know what direction to take next.
–“Keep a close check on yourself.” Avoid, “he did it, I can, too” or “my sin is not as bad as his sin” or “everybody’s doing it” mentality.
–Ask God for wisdom, insight and understanding.
–Allow God’s transformation to continue in our lives.
–Ask God to make your lists of to BE and to DO. HE will prioritize your lists in ways you cannot imagine! Where He guides, He provides help all along the journey.
–Do all in a Spirit of love for God and others.
–Care enough to confront others with God’s love and concern for their spiritual well-being and growth.
WarningThe things on our spiritual check list can never be crossed off because we’ll be working on them our whole lives. By listing we are reminding ourselves of what we need to work on to “keep a close check” on our lives. It is only by The Atonement of Jesus Christ can we accomplish anything of eternal significance.
Dear Heavenly Father, You have convinced me that we must do spiritual “business” with You each day to improve our being in You. Thank you for helping us on this journey. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit that points out things in our behavior that could cause us to crash…before crashing. Thank you for always being with us, guiding and directing, loving and protecting and challenging us to grow and bear Fruit. Continue to transform me. Transform your church. Transform the world through your church. In Jesus Name, Amen
Theologians have divided the Psalms into sections for study and review. We are beginning part three of our journey of praying through the Psalms written by humans in need of God for His wisdom and help. God delivers all He promised and more for believing people surrendered and committed to Him. The “songs” written are honest reflections of His Goodness in prose of praise that can be sung in celebration of who He is with prayers of thanksgiving for what He has done, is doing and will do in the lives of all who believe and follow Him.
The Psalms most often begin with lament and end with how God delivered on His promise to always be with us as He continually works on our behalf in ways beyond our wildest dreams. God is God. God was, is and always will be God. We are not Him. To God be the glory!
For clarity and understanding, let us return to remember the words of Eugene Peterson, a pastor and theologian who taught his congregation how to pray the Psalms by paraphrasing the words into contemporary English for more understanding of the Word. Peterson’s words of this particular portion of his introduction about the Psalms helps us to know the intention and attention of personal, desperate, honest prayers to God who is God alone and worthy to be praised as God. He writes;
“Prayer is elemental, not advanced, language. It is the means by which our language becomes honest, true, and personal in response to God. It is the means by which we get everything in our lives out in the open before God.
But even with the Psalms in their hands and my pastoral encouragement, people often tell me that they still don’t get it. In English translation, the Psalms often sound smooth and polished, sonorous with Elizabethan rhythm and diction. As literature, they are beyond compare. But as prayer, as the utterances of men and women passionate for God in moments of anger and praise and lament, these translations miss something. Grammatically, they are accurate. The scholarship undergirding the translation is superb and devout. But as prayers they are not quiet right. The Psalms in Hebrew are earthy and rough. They are not genteel. They are not the prayers of nice people couched in cultured language.
And so, in my pastoral work of teaching people to pray, I stared paraphrasing the Psalms into the rhythms and idiom of contemporary English. I want to provide men and women access to the immense range and the terrific energies of prayer in the kind of language that is most immediate to them, which also happen to be the language in which these psalm prayers were first expressed and written by David and his successors.
I continue to want to do that, convinced that only as we develop raw honesty and detailed thoroughness in our praying do we become whole, truly human in Jesus Christ, who also prayed the Psalms.” –Peterson, The Message, Introduction to Psalms.
BOOK III – Psalms 73–89
A psalm of Asaph.
Psalm 73, The Message
1-5 No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people At the top, envying the wicked who have it made, Who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.
6-10 Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence, Pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness. They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words. They’re full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace. People actually listen to them—can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.
11-14 What’s going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody’s tending the store. The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches. I’ve been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me? A long run of bad luck, that’s what— a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.
15-20 If I’d have given in and talked like this, I would have betrayed your dear children. Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache . . . Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture: The slippery road you’ve put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions. In the blink of an eye, disaster! A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare! We wake up and rub our eyes. . . Nothing. There’s nothing to them. And there never was.
21-24 When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me.
25-28 You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth! When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful. Look! Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again. But I’m in the very presence of God— oh, how refreshing it is! I’ve made Lord God my home. God, I’m telling the world what you do!
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
It is dumb to please people no matter how much they are admire by you and the rest of the world. It is wise to please the One and Only who created us in His own image. God loved us so much He sent a part of Himself, His Son who died to save us from our sins that hold us in bondage (and one of those sins of entanglement in this world is pleasing impossible-to-please people in this world)!
Asaph, a choir director, questioned God’s wisdom. Asaph saw the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering. His lament ends with this conclusion;
“Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture:
There’s nothing to them. And there never was.”
When we are confused by events in our lives, remember to ask God to give us HIS view of people and our current circumstances from His perspective. We must stop our useless activities of assumptions and presumptions and lean into God.
God welcomes our questions and doubts when we come to him honestly seeking truth. God is Good, so Good. God patiently waits for us to enter into His sanctuary of real Life through honest prayers, seeking His wisdom, insight and understanding from our point of surrender to what He sees and knows.
Only then can we truly see the “big picture” of what He sees with what He requires of us in response—to trust and obey Him while seeking justice, loving mercy, in our humbled walk with Him. (Micah 6:8)
We need is help daily to avoid the sin of relying only on what we see and feel, assume and presume, along with trying to please people in which we think have it all together. Truth bomb: None of us have it all together until we surrender to God who is ready to help us with guidance to all that is truth by His Holy Spirit living in us. Even then, we are not perfect and good; but we are perfectly forgiven by a God who knows us and helps us from the inside out and outside in—because He loves us.
God does not expect perfection—He looks for our pursuit of Him with heart of surrender.
Truth: (ICYMI) We are His and He is our God—oh, what peace there is when we truly believe Whose we are and in Whom we can cling to forever because of Jesus sacrifice!
Lord,
Thank you for the Psalms, these prayers of honest people who suffered through trials, assumed the worst, until they walked into your throne room with opened hearts, minds, and souls in surrender. Surrender means letting go of self-talk with a readiness to hear all that is true about You with who we are to You! It is a holy time to be filled with your glorious will—all that right and good for us! To you be the glory! Your Word lifts our burdens as we surrender to what Your Word says. Yes!
What are the words that come to mind as we pray daily for our children, no matter what their current age? As young children, we mostly pray for their protection as they attempt goofy things trying to figure out life stuff while exploring their capabilities, right? I just had a thought; how did Evel Knievel’s mom pray for him? Remember this dare devil who tried to break all records by jumping over vehicles with a motorcycle? (Real last name, by the way!) Can you picture him in the backyard as a toddler, lining up planks into ramps to jump his tricycle over the family dog, all while giggling at the sheer thought of doing what was forming in his mind?
As young adults maturing to be men and women in the adult world, what do we pray? Do we parents beg God to prosper them, kept from harm, so they will be content and happy in life? I hope there is more to our prayers than being happy for as we know “in this world we will have troubles”, says Jesus but added, “relax for I have overcome the world. Do they know Jesus? Is our prayer that they may know, believe, and follow Him? The best prayer we can pray and model is that our children would seek God first, trust his wisdom above all else, and strive to be men and women who desire to be like His Son, Jesus who modeled perfectly how to humbly walk with God. (Philippians 2)
Psalm 72 is Solomon’s prayer influenced heavily by his father, King David. Solomon is now the King of Israel. He was raised from childhood to know that God was the supreme King over God’s people. Solomon also knew that the man on the throne in Jerusalem was God’s representative, obligated to lead the people according to the law of God (See Deuteronomy 17:14–20). King Solomon had to be impartial in his dealings according to the Law given to Moses along with making sure that his throne was founded on God’s righteousness and justice which meant, according to Psalm 89:14, acquiring the God’s ways of Righteousness and Justice.
As we might recall, Solomon asked God for wisdom above all else as he took the throne! God answered that prayer with teaching him about His righteousness, justice, love and faithfulness.
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14
Let’s talk about these terms in order to enrich our own prayers—
God’s righteousness and justice are the bedrock of His character and sovereignty. “Righteousness” implies absolute moral perfection in doing what is right, while “justice” ensures that His judgments and rule are completely fair. Can a human be and achieve this—only by the power of God in him! Love and Faithfulness (or Mercy and Truth): These attributes of God “go before” Him. Instead of a harsh tyrant, God leads with compassion and keeps all His promises.
THIS is what and why Solomon prayed;
Psalm 72, The Message
Of Solomon. Final prayer of David, son of Jesse.
1-8 Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. May he judge your people rightly, be honorable to your meek and lowly. Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. Please stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants. Outlast the sun, outlive the moon— age after age after age. Be rainfall on cut grass, earth-refreshing rain showers. Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing. Rule from sea to sea, from the River to the Rim.
9-14 Foes will fall on their knees before God, his enemies lick the dust. Kings remote and legendary will pay homage, kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth. All kings will fall down and worship, and godless nations sign up to serve him, Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck. He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth. He frees them from tyranny and torture— when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies.
15-17 And live! Oh, let him live! Deck him out in Sheba gold. Offer prayers unceasing to him, bless him from morning to night. Fields of golden grain in the land, cresting the mountains in wild exuberance, Cornucopias of praise, praises springing from the city like grass from the earth. May he never be forgotten, his fame shine on like sunshine. May all godless people enter his circle of blessing and bless the One who blessed them.
18-20 Blessed God, Israel’s God, the one and only wonder-working God! Blessed always his blazing glory! All earth brims with his glory. Yes and Yes and Yes.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Could this prayer be a ways for us to pray for our leaders? What if we prayed similar words, asking God for wisdom to dwell in all our leaders who govern us? All earthly leaders are very human and uber tempted by evil from all directions! Do they not deserve our prayers if we do not agree with them? The answer is they need our prayers as much as our family and friends! What they do affects us all! These people stepped up to serve and got elected by the populus. It is our responsibility as citizens of our town, city, state, and country to respect and honor the position they are in with consistent, intentional prayer to God to give them His righteous wisdom with justice as they lead!
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” –Jesus, Matthew 6:33-34
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” is a foundational biblical teaching from Jesus as recorded by Matthew 6:33. It means prioritizing God’s rule, values, and moral standards in your daily life, trusting that He will provide for your physical and practical needs without the burden of anxiety.
“The Kingdom of God” represents God’s sovereign rule, His will being done, and His presence in the world. Seeking it means placing God’s purposes, teachings, and desires above personal ambition or worldly gain.
“His Righteousness” refers to living by God’s moral standards and doing what is right in His eyes. It involves aligning our actions, thoughts, and character with His holiness. We are not perfect but He is and always will be!
“Jesus ended with the Promise“…and all these things will be added to you”. This is our blessed assurance that when we put God first, He takes care of our basic human needs (like food, clothing, and shelter).
The proclamation of Micah the prophet, centuries before Jesus came, makes total sense as Jesus reiterates God’s Truth to humanity:
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
All believers are commanded by God’s Son Jesus, His prophets, apostles, and teachers to seek God first, ask for His wisdom, surrender, and listen as we walk humbly with God. When we ask for wisdom; God gives and gives and does not hold back! We need to pray, ask, listen, trust, and obey! Stop being anxious for what may never happen!
Don’t forget who we are in Christ as designed by God—We are created in God’s image. God’s desire is that we become our Faithful Father in all His ways. We will not achieve all His attributes on earth; therefore, as we live and breathe we must seek His wisdom of righteousness, justice, love and faithfulness in all we think, say, and do—so that the world may know Him. When we pray the promise of the peace of Christ settles our souls—just like He promised.
Lord,
Thank you for cleansing my heart, removing all that does not belong there. Thank you for renewing my mind with your peace with wisdom. Thank you for refreshing my soul with your thoughts of righteousness, justice, love and faithfulness. Thank you for the joy and peace of your salvation at work continually in me. Thank you for your relentless love for our children and their children!
May our leaders be filled with your wisdom for our good and your glory!
Our worship songs today, those with words and melody that literally grab our hearts and get the attention of our minds lost in thought with an exact message of truth at exactly the right time we need it most is borrowed from God’s Word! The composer generally writes from a place of rescue, conviction, and resolved faith in the Rescuer and Deliverer. These are the songs of praise that speak into the depths of our hearts and fills that holy space reserved alone for God.
God’s Holy Spirit, a part of God, equal to Jesus, promised by God through Jesus, does indeed come to be our Helper/Counselor/Guide/Comforter/Corrector who leads us to all that is Truth in a world consumed with lies. The Holy Spirit comes to reside deep within us at the very moment we say yes to Jesus in surrender of our will to His perfect, pleasing will for us. Christ is the Rock of our Foundation of Faith.
His Word is designed to not only teach us the path to follow with specific instructions; His Word is used to compose the songs we sing in worship that express our need of God, our love for God, our thanksgiving to Jesus for saving us, all with the growing knowledge of who God is as a testimony to others seeking to fill their emptiness with God’s Holy Spirit.
This is the secret, writes the Apostle Paul, called of God through Jesus to teach new believers gathered in church groups trying to figure out how to walk humbly with God. Paul explains the “secret” in this way and is for ALL who believe in Jesus;
“For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.” Colossians 1:27-29, NLT (Emphasis mine)
Paul’s message was not new; He relied on and spoke the words of God as given from God’s Holy Spirit living in him—so that the world may know Jesus as the only way to God.
The Psalmist borrows from other Psalms to create new songs! Warren Wiersbe states; “The first three verses are adapted from Psalm 31:1–3, a perfectly legitimate practice among psalmists. This writer also borrowed from Psalms 22, 31, 35, and 40, to name just a few of his sources. On 71:1, see 7:1; 11:1; 16:1; 22:5; 25:2, 20; and 31:17. (On the image of the rock, see 18:2.) If the author was a temple musician, his mind and heart were no doubt filled with the psalms that he had sung day after day.
Our expressions to God, like our language itself, need not be original with us. Borrowed words and phrases, spoken from the heart, will certainly please God.” –Wiersbe Study Bible
It is the conditions of our hearts, not the words we speak, pray, or sing, that God looks upon as we honor Him.
Psalm 71, NIV
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. 2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. 3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. 6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. 7 I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
9 Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. 10 For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. 11 They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.” 12 Do not be far from me, my God; come quickly, God, to help me. 13 May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all. 16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. 17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. 18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God? 20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. 21 You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.
22 I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered. 24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
We sing from the heart of the goodness and majesty of our God!
Lord,
Thank you for living within my soul. Thank you for daily cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, refreshing my soul and restoring the joy unspeakable, full of the glory of your salvation at work deep within me. Thank you for parting the waters of lies that overwhelm us each day to present Truth—You, only You. Help us to be more and more like you in every way. May our focused attention be always on You.
“These psalms were written as a cry for help in old age. Their writers longed to be testimonies of God’s faithfulness and useful parts of God’s work.
In the later years of his life, David looked for God’s hand just as surely as he had during his younger years. His dependence on God did not lessen with age.
Aging is God’s idea. It’s one of the ways he keeps us headed homeward. We can’t change the process, but we can change our attitude. Here is a thought. What if we looked at the aging body as we look at the growth of a tulip?
Do you ever see anyone mourning over the passing of the tulip bulb? Do gardeners weep as the bulb begins to weaken? Of course not. We don’t purchase tulip girdles or petal wrinkle cream or consult plastic-leaf surgeons. We don’t mourn the passing of the bulb; we celebrate it. Tulip lovers rejoice the minute the bulb weakens. “Watch that one,” they say. “It’s about to blossom.”
Could it be heaven does the same? The angels point to our bodies. The more frail we become, the more excited they become. “Watch that lady in the hospital,” they say. “She’s about to blossom.” “Keep an eye on the fellow with the bad heart. He’ll be coming home soon.”
“We . . . groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23).
Are our bodies now free? No. Paul describes them as “our lowly bodies” (Philippians 3:21). Or as other translations state
“our earthy bodies” (MSG)
“the body of our humble state” (NASB)
“our weak mortal bodies” (NLT)
“our vile body” (KJV)
“our humble bodies” (NCV)
You could add your own adjective, couldn’t you? Which word describes your body? My cancerous body? My arthritic body? My deformed body? My crippled body? My addicted body? My ever-expanding body? The word may be different, but the message is the same: These bodies are weak. They began decaying the minute we began breathing.
And, according to God, that’s a part of the plan. Every wrinkle and every needle take us one step closer to the last step when Jesus will change our simple bodies into forever bodies. No pain. No depression. No sickness. No end.
This body is not our forever house. It will serve for the time being. But there is nothing like the moment we enter his door.
Are you young and looking for something to believe in? Are you older and looking for God’s hand anew? God answers both needs. Look to him and no further.”—Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible
Psalm 70, The Message
For the director of music. Of David. A petition.
1-3 God! Please hurry to my rescue! God, come quickly to my side! Those who are out to get me— let them fall all over themselves. Those who relish my downfall— send them down a blind alley. Give them a taste of their own medicine, those gossips off clucking their tongues.
4 Let those on the hunt for you sing and celebrate. Let all who love your saving way say over and over, “God is mighty!”
5 But I’ve lost it. I’m wasted. God—quickly, quickly! Quick to my side, quick to my rescue! God, don’t lose a minute.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Micah has the answer given to him by God; “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
What is the cry of our hearts today? What is the attitude of our minds as we cry out?These are questions for thought this morning as we study God’s Word while listening to His Holy Spirit tell us what He wants us to know in this time and place. We need to slow our roll of anxious words, crying out to God, with attitudes steeped in faithless fear of the unknown. Our God reigns. Our God knows you and what you are going through right now. Our God is already working on your rescue with His plan to help us in righteous and holy ways. He waits on us to realize He is at work on our behalf!
God’s work of salvation within us is a daily process that works best from our posture of surrender to His will. (Romans 12:1-2) God’s work in us is delivered step by step in His timing and in His way in order to mature our faith as we walk humbly with Him.
The really Good News of Jesus’ redemptive work is God’s Holy Spirit working from the inside out of our beings to develop His character within us. As we grow and mature by walking humbly with Him in surrender; we began to think, act, and walk like the One we love in relationship. It is amazing in my own walk to see the transformation of my attitudes and actions when I am fully yielded to God, seeking to be like Jesus in every way. I’m not who I was; I’m different! I’m useless trying to be a better me, like the world tells us to do but instead, be more like Christ!
I’m not there yet and have a long what to go but I am on my way forward, seeking to develop and bear all the Spiritual fruits of His holy character of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:21-24 We can only do this in surrender to the One who set us free from our sins.
Cry out to God, no harm in honest; but then listen to God’s answer. He changes all who surrender to His will because of His unchanging love for us. Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life that leads to a forever relationship with the God who calms our urgent thoughts with His relentless love, mercy, and grace delivered right on time—His time! Trust Him, He knows what He is doing!
Lord,
Thank you for these thought that come to mind as we hear the Psalmist cry out for help. We know that cry for we have cried out many times before when we didn’t know what else to do when we came to the end of ourselves and our resources. Help us to seek You first in all circumstance of life in faith and surrender. We want to bloom where we are planted but we also what to mature with a beautiful, glorious faith in You—the preparation of life in heaven with you forever!
In 2017, Cory Asbury composed a song, “Reckless Love of God” that became popular—and controversial among theologians at the same time. The controversy was over the word “reckless”. Theologians had a hard time because they believed God is never reckless but perfectly on time in all His ways to rescue us. Asbury’s critics argued that describing God’s love as reckless implies carelessness, a lack of planning, or irresponsible behavior, which they believe misrepresents a holy, all-knowing, and sovereign God. I remember singing the words of this song when I was overwhelmed by a world of lies and betrayal within the church body for my soul was in need of rescue with truth—who is Jesus!
So, what if we look at this from the point of view of the songwriter who woke up early in the morning, remembering how God had miraculously saved and rescued him from being a broken, on the run prodigal, who suddenly experienced the overwhelming, unconditional love of God? What God does for us might indeed look “reckless” in the view of the church.
In fact, there are those in leadership today who would have people seek order, discipline, practice and service in their ways and in their timing upon accepting Jesus; in other words all new believers must become like the veterans of faith versus becoming like Christ. This practice brings on even more overwhelming obstacles and is a sin in Jesus’ view and teaching! Jesus stated (mostly to the Pharisees and teachers of the Law within earshot) that it would be better for an offender to have a heavy millstone tied around their neck and be drowned at the bottom of the sea than to hurt or cause a believer to stumble. This powerful metaphor highlights the gravity of damaging someone’s faith—even with teaching people to be “good”.
“But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—and it’s doomsday to you if you do.”—Jesus, Matthew 18:6-7, MSG
Asbury touched the hearts of thousands of the redeemed who knew their redemption is and always will be purely the work of God through His son Jesus. We do not earn it. We do not deserve it. God’s rescue does seem reckless to those who want to punish us for all the deeds we have done and have gossiped over us as they work to make us feel guilty forever for that way keeps us under their control! Could this be the work of the Accuser? I will leave that right there.
Asbury left the Christian music scene for a while as the accusations flew but still humbly expressed his gratitude for God whose love does seem reckless to the world but perfectly acceptable to those needing His rescue. What seems reckless to us is God’s perfectly timed salvation of love, mercy, and grace. It is up to us and no one else to accept, repent, believe, and be redeemed forever with the promise of eternal life. Too hard to believe? Believe it! This is the reckless, unconditional love of God at work!
RECKLESS LOVE
Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me You have been so, so good to me Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me You have been so, so kind to me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me You have been so, so good to me When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me You have been so, so kind to me
Bridge
There’s no shadow You won’t light up Mountain You won’t climb up Coming after me There’s no wall You won’t kick down Lie You won’t tear down Coming after me
At the beginning of David’s song of prayer to the Lord, he is begging for the Lord to answer. Do we beg for God when we want Him to act, asap? David wanted an answer now! Though he was not sinless; David was innocent of the charges his enemies were making against him and he was being treated as though he were guilty. Will God understand? God always understands and stands with us in these times of questioning. In fact, this scenario reminds us of our Savior, who was sinless yet treated like a transgressor when brought in and bullied to the Caiaphas, the High Priest who had already judged Jesus and decided His fate—crucifixion by the Romans! According to Warren Wiesbe, theologian of truth, Jesus quoted Psalm 69:4 in the Upper Room conversation with His disciples! (John 15:25).
Psalm 69
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
God, God, save me! I’m in over my head,
2 Quicksand under me, swamp water over me; I’m going down for the third time.
3 I’m hoarse from calling for help, Bleary-eyed from searching the sky for God.
4 I’ve got more enemies than hairs on my head; Liars and cheats are out to knife me in the back.
What I never stole Must I now give back?
5 God, you know every sin I’ve committed; My life’s a wide-open book before you.
6 Don’t let those who look to you in hope Be discouraged by what happens to me, Dear Lord! God of the armies!
Don’t let those out looking for you Come to a dead end by following me— Please, dear God of Israel!
7 Because of you I look like an idiot, I walk around ashamed to show my face.
8 My brothers shun me like a bum off the street; My family treats me like an unwanted guest.
9 I love you more than I can say. Because I’m madly in love with you, They blame me for everything they dislike about you.
10 When I poured myself out in prayer and fasting, All it got me was more contempt.
11 When I put on a sad face, They treated me like a clown.
12 Now drunks and gluttons Make up drinking songs about me.
13 And me? I pray. God, it’s time for a break!
God, answer in love! Answer with your sure salvation!
14 Rescue me from the swamp, Don’t let me go under for good,
Pull me out of the clutch of the enemy; This whirlpool is sucking me down.
15 Don’t let the swamp be my grave, the Black Hole Swallow me, its jaws clenched around me.
16 Now answer me, God, because you love me; Let me see your great mercy full-face.
17 Don’t look the other way; your servant can’t take it. I’m in trouble. Answer right now!
18 Come close, God; get me out of here. Rescue me from this deathtrap.
19 You know how they kick me around— Pin on me the donkey’s ears, the dunce’s cap.
20 I’m broken by their taunts, Flat on my face, reduced to a nothing.
I looked in vain for one friendly face. Not one. I couldn’t find one shoulder to cry on.
21 They put poison in my soup, Vinegar in my drink.
22 Let their supper be bait in a trap that snaps shut; May their best friends be trappers who’ll skin them alive.
23 Make them become blind as bats, Give them the shakes from morning to night.
24 Let them know what you think of them, Blast them with your red-hot anger.
25 Burn down their houses, Leave them desolate with nobody at home.
26 They gossiped about the one you disciplined, Made up stories about anyone wounded by God.
27 Pile on the guilt, Don’t let them off the hook.
28 Strike their names from the list of the living; No rock-carved honor for them among the righteous.
29 I’m hurt and in pain; Give me space for healing, and mountain air.
30 Let me shout God’s name with a praising song, Let me tell his greatness in a prayer of thanks.
31 For God, this is better than oxen on the altar, Far better than blue-ribbon bulls.
32 The poor in spirit see and are glad— Oh, you God-seekers, take heart!
33 For God listens to the poor, He doesn’t walk out on the wretched.
34 You heavens, praise him; praise him, earth; Also ocean and all things that swim in it.
35 For God is out to help Zion, Rebuilding the wrecked towns of Judah.
Guess who will live there— The proud owners of the land?
36 No, the children of his servants will get it, The lovers of his name will live in it.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
David not only prays for himself but for all who believe and follow God. He also prays for his enemies but unlike Jesus told us to pray for our enemies! There is the difference between David, a human and Jesus, Our Redeemer.
Many today preach “be like David, bold like Daniel, faithful like Abraham”, but we need to remember they are human like us in need of God’s character and power to be in them to do what they did—just like us. Paul demands to all who will listen and written down in his letters to the church then and now—don’t be like me a sinner saved by grace—be more and more in every way like Christ who gave His live for us! Truth!
We truly love Jesus and others as long as God’s love flows through us for God is love. (1 John 4) “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) God’s Love is recklessly controlled, forever stable, and unchanging—unlike the world’s view of human love. God’s love is holy, pure, and perfect. This is the love we seek and desire to imitate.
Oh Lord,
May we daily remember your overwhelming love that rescued us and brought us out of the deep waters meant to drown our faith. Our Accuser has no power over my soul—all because of You!
We cry out and sing “God bless America” sometimes as if we are the only country who desires God’s blessings as we see blessings. Many times, even as a child singing the song with my friends in a mighty children’s chorus on special holidays for our nation; I wondered even then if the lyrics were backwards. Maybe our song should be, “Hey America! Bless God!”
Let us stand and give God all the blessings of praise, honor, and glory with humbled, grateful hearts because of His gift of salvation, relationship, and restoration through reconciliation with Him! God saved us from ourselves and our own sins by sacrificing His One and Only Son, Jesus—the One perfect without sin to pay the price and set us free from the payment we owe! Jesus took away the sins of all the world so we could be debt free! We need only to believe that He did! But that’s not all, when the Enemy of God thought he had won when Jesus died; God raised Jesus from death to life in victory on that beautiful, miraculous third day! Yes, to all who believe—Jesus is not only Savior, He becomes the Lord of all we think, say, and do. That is our prayer.
God promised and He delivered our rescue. But that’s not all; God reconciled (reconnected) our relationship with our Creator in what Jesus accomplished on our behalf as our Advocate! But that’s not all; God knew, after our forgiveness and restoration, we would need a Helper 24/7. So, as promised, His Holy Spirit came immediately to take up residence way deep in our souls to be with us always. Holy Spirit is our guide to Truth as we wade through a world of lies. God’s Holy Spirit convicts, corrects, comforts, and compels us to keep our feet on a rock-solid foundation of faith in our God/Jesus/Holy Spirit relationship—in our daily prayer of surrender.
The Psalmist sings words of blessings for God. David is well versed through experience and relationship with God which prompts his praises and blessings! David saw the Lord’s presence on Zion as a blessing first of all to those who were burdened and in danger; just as Jehovah our King bears our burdens and defeats our enemies. Certainly, David saw the Lord win great victories for Israel so his heart, mind, and soul was bent thanksgiving for God!
David also includes a prophecy of the King, namely Jesus, who will come riding on the clouds in rescue on The Day of His return! It is easy for us to jump to this foretaste of the glory of Jesus’ return as David describes the Gentile nations submitting to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and bringing Him their worship. These references help us to understand—
The prophet Isaiah proclaimed; “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord’” (Isaiah 2:2-3)
Later, John, disciple of Jesus, wrote what God enabled him to envision; “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” –Revelation 21:22-27
Imagine the Day when the Gentile nations will join Israel in blessing God by singing praises to the Lord, extolling His majesty and power!
Read, pause, then bless God for all He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives!
Psalm 68, The Message
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.
1-4 Up with God! Down with his enemies! Adversaries, run for the hills! Gone like a puff of smoke, like a blob of wax in the fire— one look at God and the wicked vanish. When the righteous see God in action they’ll laugh, they’ll sing, they’ll laugh and sing for joy. Sing hymns to God; all heaven, sing out; clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider. Enjoy God, cheer when you see him!
5-6 Father of orphans, champion of widows, is God in his holy house. God makes homes for the homeless, leads prisoners to freedom, but leaves rebels to rot in hell.
7-10 God, when you took the lead with your people, when you marched out into the wild, Earth shook, sky broke out in a sweat; God was on the march. Even Sinai trembled at the sight of God on the move, at the sight of Israel’s God. You pour out rain in buckets, O God; thorn and cactus become an oasis For your people to camp in and enjoy. You set them up in business; they went from rags to riches.
11-14 The Lord gave the word; thousands called out the good news: “Kings of the armies are on the run, on the run!” While housewives, safe and sound back home, divide up the plunder, the plunder of Canaanite silver and gold. On that day that Shaddai scattered the kings, snow fell on Black Mountain.
15-16 You huge mountains, Bashan mountains, mighty mountains, dragon mountains. All you mountains not chosen, sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves, For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on; he’ll rule from this mountain forever.
17-18 The chariots of God, twice ten thousand, and thousands more besides, The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai— straight to the Holy Place! You climbed to the High Place, captives in tow, your arms full of plunder from rebels, And now you sit there in state, God, sovereign God!
19-23 Blessed be the Lord— day after day he carries us along. He’s our Savior,our God, oh yes! He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us. Lord God knows all death’s ins and outs. What’s more, he made heads roll, split the skulls of the enemy As he marched out of heaven, saying, “I tied up the Dragon in knots, put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea.” You can wade through your enemies’ blood, and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.
24-31 See God on parade to the sanctuary, my God, my King on the march! Singers out front, the band behind, maidens in the middle with castanets. The whole choir blesses God. Like a fountain of praise, Israel blesses God. Look—little Benjamin’s out front and leading Princes of Judah in their royal robes, princes of Zebulun, princes of Naphtali.
Parade your power, O God, the power, O God, that made us what we are. Your temple, High God, is Jerusalem; kings bring gifts to you. Rebuke that old crocodile, Egypt, with her herd of wild bulls and calves, Rapacious in her lust for silver, crushing peoples, spoiling for a fight. Let Egyptian traders bring blue cloth and Cush come running to God, her hands outstretched.
32-34 Sing, O kings of the earth! Sing praises to the Lord! There he is: Sky-Rider, striding the ancient skies. Listen—he’s calling in thunder, rumbling, rolling thunder. Call out “Bravo!” to God, the High God of Israel. His splendor and strength rise huge as thunderheads.
35 A terrible beauty, O God, streams from your sanctuary. It’s Israel’s strong God! He gives power and might to his people! O you, his people—bless God!
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
We sing with glorious thanksgiving as we humbly walk with our Lord God and Savior!
To God be the glory, great things He hath done, so loved He the world that He gave us His Son, who yielded His life an atonement for sin, and opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He hath done…
(Composer: Fanny Crosby, 1875)
Lord,
Thank you for your thoughts that will dwell in our hearts all day long from reading Your Word with grateful hearts. Help us to live Your Word out loud today so others will know and see your glory reflected from our faces! “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me”…
The Lord bless you and keep you Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you The Lord turn His face toward you And give you peace
The Lord bless you and keep you Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you The Lord turn His face toward you And give you peace
Amen, amen, amen Amen, amen, amen
The song “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, and Elevation Worship is primarily based on the Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26, where God instructs Moses to have Aaron (the high priest) bless the Israelites. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Many pastors of my past church life have used these very words in this text as a benediction (prayer blessing at the end of a sermon) for the people who gathered to praise God and learn from His Word on any given Sunday. The Words complete God’s desire for our attention and for us to know it is God alone who blesses us and gives His peace unlike what the world can give.
May His favor be upon you And a thousand generations And your family and your children And their children, and their children…
Additionally, the song’s bridge (which speaks of God’s favor for “a thousand generations”) draws heavily from Deuteronomy 7:9 and Psalm 103:17, which emphasizes God’s steadfast love and covenant—lasting across generations!
The Blessing is today’s song in my heart, mind, and soul as we read Psalm 67. The same God that David and musicians wrote of and sang to is the same God who looks down on us with a smile on His face as we read His Word and seek His heart’s desire for us. He loves us no matter what; but He smiles on us when we seek to be like Him with all our hearts, minds, and souls knowing God will help us in and through the transformation to Life eternal with Him!
May His presence go before you And behind you, and beside you All around you, and within you He is with you, he is with you
In the morning, in the evening In your coming, and your going In your weeping, and rejoicing He is for you, he is for you
He is for you, he is for you He is for you, he is for you He is for you, he is for you (Amen, amen)
Amen, amen, amen Amen, amen, amen…
Psalm 67, The Message
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you. Let all people thank and enjoy you. Earth, display your exuberance! You mark us with blessing, O God, our God. You mark us with blessing, O God. Earth’s four corners—honor him!
1-7 God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile! The whole country will see how you work, all the godless nations see how you save.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you. Let all people thank and enjoy you. Let all far-flung people become happy and shout their happiness because You judge them fair and square, you tend the far-flung peoples.
Psalm 67, NIV, Our prayer for today:
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— 2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. 5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. 7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
Max Lucado writes;
This songwriter praised God for blessing the people. The writer promised to praise and offer sacrifice to God because God had always remained faithful.
God is worthy of praise. He not only grants us our life, but he guides us as well.
Praise is the highest occupation of any being. What happens when we praise the Father? We reestablish the proper chain of command; we recognize that the King is on the throne and that he has saved his people.
The whole purpose of coming before the King is to praise him, to live in recognition of his splendor. Praise—lifting up our heart and hands, exalting with our voices, singing his praises—is the occupation of those who dwell in the kingdom.
I believe that praise and prayer develop us for what we will do when we arrive in heaven. What’s your picture of what you’ll be doing there—sitting on a cloud? Polishing your halo? Playing your harp? That’s not what you’re going to be doing. You’re going to be involved in the ongoing process of co-reigning with God.
Make this your “thank God” day. Focus on the blessings, whether they are as simple as a beautiful tree or as profound as peace of mind. Perhaps you could thank him for your older neighbor, your stubborn child, your gas-guzzling car, your boss—thank God for all things.”—Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible
So that the world may know Him, too…
May His favor be upon you And a thousand generations And your family and your children And their children, and their children
May His presence go before you And behind you, and beside you All around you, and within you He is with you, he is with you
In the morning, in the evening In your coming, and your going In your weeping, and rejoicing He is for you, He is for you
My husband and I have attended quite a few sporting events because we enjoy the team spirit and the roar of the crowd when the goal is reached! I love observing the coaches who tenaciously guide their players with planned disciplined tactics that pull each member of the team together to reach the goal! I also love watching the cheerleaders on the sidelines doing all they can to encourage the players working for a win. Even the loyal spectators are influenced by all that is going on around them shouts and applause as they watch, hoping for a win! Of course, the shouts of praise are loudest when their team scores!
“Now turn to page 66 in your hymn book of Psalms today”, for the songwriter is taking time out from all that has happened and is happening in their world at present to simply pause with applauseto God for all He has done, is doing, and will do in their lives!
The Psalmists are the cheerleaders in our lives who encourage our walk and lead us to Truth. God’s Word is God and is His message of Truth. His Word, was relayed through His prophets and called out leaders first. Then the Word “made flesh” was Jesus who spoke directly to God and said what God told Him to say and do. Later, Jesus trained disciples would spread the Good News. Now, it is up to us for all who believe are called to tell of God’s salvation.
God’s Son, our Coach/Advocate, Jesus Christ gave His life in payment for our sins but not before giving us a specific game plan for life! “To live is Christ”, shouts the words of Paul, no matter what the circumstances, for it is Christ alone who is the way to God! (See Philippians 1) Our Counselor, God’s Holy Spirit, comes to live in the innermost depths of our being to give us power from God to trust and obey with the end goal of eternal Life! I love it! Don’t you?! We cannot lose with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit!
Therefore, let us pause for applause to Almighty God right now! And when you see His glory at work throughout this day that He has made for us; pause again to give Him all the honor and praise due Him who is Life! Yes! and Amen!
Psalm 66, The Message
1-4 All together now—applause for God! Sing songs to the tune of his glory, set glory to the rhythms of his praise. Say of God, “We’ve never seen anything like him!” When your enemies see you in action, they slink off like scolded dogs. The whole earth falls to its knees— it worships you, sings to you, can’t stop enjoying your name and fame.
5-6 Take a good look at God’s wonders— they’ll take your breath away. He converted sea to dry land; travelers crossed the river on foot. Now isn’t that cause for a song?
7 Ever sovereign in his high tower, he keeps his eye on the godless nations. Rebels don’t dare raise a finger against him.
8-12 Bless our God, O peoples! Give him a thunderous welcome! Didn’t he set us on the road to life? Didn’t he keep us out of the ditch? He trained us first, passed us like silver through refining fires, Brought us into hardscrabble country, pushed us to our very limit, Road-tested us inside and out, took us to hell and back; Finally he brought us to this well-watered place.
13-15 I’m bringing my prizes and presents to your house. I’m doing what I said I’d do, What I solemnly swore I’d do that day when I was in so much trouble: The choicest cuts of meat for the sacrificial meal; Even the fragrance of roasted lamb is like a meal! Or make it an ox garnished with goat meat!
16-20 All believers, come here and listen, let me tell you what God did for me. I called out to him with my mouth, my tongue shaped the sounds of music. If I had been cozy with evil, the Lord would never have listened. But he most surely did listen, he came on the double when he heard my prayer. Blessed be God: he didn’t turn a deaf ear, he stayed with me, loyal in his love.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
God works continually for our benefit as He declares His glory of sovereignty in and over all He has created.
Our response: Shouts of praises and unending hallelujahs with unlimited rounds of applause for God alone deserves all our praise!
Lord,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my soul, cleansing my heart, renewing my mind and restoring the joy of you in me and me in you, again this morning. May all I think, say, and do, by your power working in me, give you glory all day long and into the night!
In the beginning God…God spoke the word that created all we see around us. “Let there be___, and it was! I read an article recently written by a scientific researcher who stated a “form of sound vibrations” seem to be what prompted creation from the beginning. This is not surprising to believers, right?! Read in the Word—from the beginning for truth!
In the beginning was also the Genesis of praise to the God who created all, is in all, and sovereign over all. ALLCreation sings His praise!“Let the earth rejoice!” writes the Psalmist of praise. The theme of rejoicing spans several chapters in the Song Book of Psalms. Here is a portion of praise to God;
Psalm 97:1:“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.”
Psalm 96:9-13:“Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.”
God created humans “in His own image” to know Him, love Him back, with expressions of sincere praise and thanksgiving that flow freely from our hearts—a heart like His! God gave us purpose as His servants to be faithful managers of His creation as caregivers that imitate His generous giving to us! So, how are we doing? Are we listening for our cue to love, serve, and worship our Lord with follow through of His purpose? Are we complainers with the world or contributors of praise to the Creator of the world?
Psalm 65, The Message
1-2 Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, And also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all.
2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt, Our sins too much for us— but you get rid of them once and for all. Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest at home in your place! We expect our fill of good things in your house, your heavenly manse. All your salvation wonders are on display in your trophy room. Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer, Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser, Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash, of mobs in noisy riot— Far and wide they’ll come to a stop, they’ll stare in awe, in wonder. Dawn and dusk take turns calling, “Come and worship.”
9-13 Oh, visit the earth, ask her to join the dance! Deck her out in spring showers, fill the God-River with living water. Paint the wheat fields golden. Creation was made for this! Drench the plowed fields, soak the dirt clods With rainfall as harrow and rake bring her to blossom and fruit. Snow-crown the peaks with splendor, scatter rose petals down your paths, All through the wild meadows, rose petals. Set the hills to dancing, Dress the canyon walls with live sheep, a drape of flax across the valleys. Let them shout, and shout, and shout! Oh, oh, let them sing!
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
This IS Our Father’s World! We respond with grateful hearts of praise as we enter his gates with thanksgiving for saving our souls and making us whole by His plan of salvation and removal of sins “as far as the east is from the west”, “to be remembered no more!” This truth alone is cause to praise to our compassionate, loving, faithful God!
David knows it and cannot help but sing about the fact that God is God and we are not. God is the One and Only who deserves ALL our praise!
Dawn and dusk take turnscalling, “Come and worship.” What a compelling invitation! Come, even now to worship for Jesus Christ made it possible to walk boldly into the very throne room of God to give Him praise, thanking Him for all He has so generously provided.
Come and worship—daily!
Lord,
When I pray the prayer of David, “let the morning bring word of your unfailing love” …you never disappoint; you provide exactly what I need with the fullness of your peace, hope, and love that cleanses my heart, renews my mind, refreshes my soul, and restores the joy of your salvation at work in me—so others will know you, too. Thank you, thank you, thank you! There is truly no one like you! I will worship you all day long and into the night with the prompting dawn and dusk!
We wake to a new day that the Lord has made once more. How do we respond? Do we groan as we roll out of bed with heavy thoughts for today’s tasks before us or praise and thank Him for being able to rise up at all? Truly the God of creation “made this day” to be a day in which we declare His glory not our grumping attitudes for He knows which attitude will “draw all men to Him”! (Need help? Read Philippians 4)
God is the God over all circumstances in our lives, all the good that flows through us, all the pain we bear from living in an imperfect world where bodies age and grow older but most of all; He is the One who made a Way to remove our sins with the bonus of eternal life! He is still God who guides us over the bumpy path with power and might, step by step, all the days of our lives! He comes to all whose hearts are committed to Him and ask Him for help and pours out all we need when we need Him most. God provides over and over again. He done it before and He’ll do it again! Why? Because God is Almighty God whose love is unconditional and forever.
David’s enemies’ behaviors cause him to whine, be sad and become weary until he pauses to praise with a song to the One and Only who rescues him time after time. The end of the last verse, David knows, yet again, Who is in charge and deserves all his praise.
Psalm 64, The Message
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
Listen and help, O God. I’m reduced to a whine And a whimper, obsessed with feelings of doomsday.
2-6 Don’t let them find me— the conspirators out to get me, Using their tongues as weapons, flinging poison words, poison-tipped arrow-words. They shoot from ambush, shoot without warning, not caring who they hit. They keep fit doing calisthenics of evil purpose, They keep lists of the traps they’ve secretly set.
They say to each other, “No one can catch us, no one can detect our perfect crime.” The Detective detects the mystery in the dark of the cellar heart.
7-8 The God of the Arrow shoots! They double up in pain, Fall flat on their faces in full view of the grinning crowd.
9-10 Everyone sees it. God’s work is the talk of the town. Be glad, good people! Fly to God! Good-hearted people, make praise your habit.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
How we respond depends on whose heart we seek—honestly. Who is truly our “first love” we rise up to greet each day? Who is the first one we seek for wisdom before doing anything else? Who do we run to when troubles overwhelm us? How honest are we when we speak to Him? Do we hide what is bothering us by covering our quick prayers with flowery, memorized words? Who is the One we go to first when it seems our world is falling apart? Who gets our praise immediately when peace comes before our problems are solved? Just how much whine do we offer our Lord each day? (Ouch.) All these questions to ponder might be ways to sort out what is true in our hearts.
A song of our day, “Do it Again” by Elevation Worship and based on God’s Word is playing in my mind as we read and study this morning. This song always brings me back to Truth. May this song, along with David’s psalm, be a blessing to you today!
DO IT AGAIN
Walking around these walls I thought by now they’d fall But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come Knowing the battle’s won For You have never failed me yet
Your promise still stands Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness I’m still in Your hands This is my confidence You’ve never failed me yet
I know the night won’t last Your word will come to pass My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus You’re still enough Keep me within Your love, oh My heart will sing Your praise again (Oh, yes, it will)
Your promise still stands Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness I’m still in Your hands This is my confidence You’ve never failed
I’ve seen You move, You move the mountains And I believe I’ll see You do it again You made a way, where there was no way And I believe I’ll see You do it again
I’ve seen You move, You move the mountains And I believe I’ll see You do it again You made a way, where there was no way And I believe I’ll see You do it again
I’ve seen You move, You move the mountains And I believe I’ll see You do it again You made a way, where there was no way And I believe I’ll see You do it again I’ll see You do it again
Your promise still stands Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness I’m still in Your hands This is my confidence You’ve never failed…
I am a list maker…even in retirement from my secular work. For me, what doesn’t get listed, doesn’t get done. It is also very rewarding for me to check that item off the list when it is accomplished. The list has a progression of priorities. One task cannot happen until another task is completed. And so life goes with my lists guiding my behavior and productivity.
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE #6: Keep a Close Check on Yourself
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 